Lot # 

Picture (click to enlarge)

 Lot title and description

Estimate (low-high)

1047. Glass apothecary mortar and pestle. Mortar about 2¼” in diameter and 1½” tall, pestle about 2½” x 3/4", 241.8 grams total. This is a very cute artifact, a small but nearly intact (big chip in rim is all) mortar-and-pestle set used by an apothecary, the glass very thick and solid but lightly sea-worn, with small pouring-spout in rim. With Arqueonautas certificate #VAL-002/00/16108+16148. Estimate: $300-$475

1048. Glass bottle stopper. About 2¼” long and 3/4" in diameter, 48.2 grams. A thick, bulbous plug for the top of a small bottle (probably medicinal), typically sea-worn but intact. With Arqueonautas certificate #VAL-002/99/20890. Estimate: $60-$90

1049. Glass bottle stopper. About 2¼” long and 3/4" in diameter, 47.9 grams. Identical to the above, just a little more opaque. With Arqueonautas certificate #VAL-002/99/20879.02. Estimate: $60-$90

1050. Group of two silver spoons. Length 8"-9", bowls 1½” to 1-3/4" wide, 96 grams total. An interesting contrast in metals, the one spoon very corroded (lots of holes) but the other one (probably just silver plate instead of solid silver) perfectly intact and with five or more clear hallmarks (K, RC, bust of George III [known as a “duty mark”], etc.) on the handle, its bowl a bit flattened but all there. With Arqueonautas certificate #VAL-002/00/16271+16407. Estimate: $200-$300

1051. Brass rifle backplate. Roughly 5" x 3" x 2", 158.9 grams. Fitted to the butt-end of a flintlock musket, this thick, solid piece of brass bears two large fastener holes and one holed insertion piece on the return, a little chipped and worn but mostly intact. With Arqueonautas certificate #VAL-002/00/15465.05. Estimate: $100-$150

1052. Brass trigger guard. Roughly 3½” x 1" x 5/8", 33.3 grams. Like several other lots from different wrecks in this same sale, this is a C-shaped cover over the trigger of a flintlock pistol or rifle, simple and unadorned, with hole through front part, very dark brass color. With Arqueonautas certificate #VAL-002/00/16476. Estimate: $75-$100

1053. Brass trigger guard. Roughly 3¼” x 1½” x 5/8", 42.8 grams. As above, a bit more patinated and slightly deeper in shape. With Arqueonautas certificate #VAL-002/99/20877.03. Estimate: $75-$100

1054. Brass ramrod pipe. Length 3", about ½” in diameter, 18.4 grams. Used to secure the ramrod on a flintlock pistol or musket, a cylinder (a curled-over piece of thick, flat brass) with one end about three-quarters open, intact and recognizable, just a little sea-worn. With Arqueonautas certificate #VAL-002/00/16096. Estimate: $75-$100

1055. Tall, black-glass “cylinder” bottle. About 11½” tall and 3½” in diameter, 656 grams. A typical bottle for the period, tall and cylindrical and dark brown in color, flat base with a few letters, totally intact with a very light film of encrustation. Estimate: $40-$60

1056. Tall, black-glass “cylinder” bottle. About 12" tall and 3¼” in diameter, 730 grams. As above but slightly taller, with deep pontil in bottom, darker in color (more black than brown), and a whole lot more encrusted (nearly half the surface is white), also totally intact. Estimate: $40-$60

1057. Tall, black-glass “cylinder” bottle. About 11" tall and 3" in diameter, 728 grams. Like last lot but darker still, the pontil not as deep and with a big letter A, intact but not as encrusted yet with one full barnacle on shoulder. Estimate: $40-$60

1058. Iron padlock. Roughly 2½” in diameter and 1" thick, 194 grams. A thick and heavy piece (very recognizable as a padlock), shaped like Mickey Mouse’s head (the bolt part eroded away) with a keyhole for the mouth, very encrusted and sandy and patinated, possibly of a later vintage and lost in the same vicinity. Estimate: $25-$40

1059. Wood block (sheave). Roughly 7" x 3-3/4" x 3", 1½ lb. Wooden objects rarely survive shipwrecks (due to the voracious teredo worm) unless they are deeply buried, which must have been the case here, as it is almost fully intact and almost functional (being a round pulley with wheel inside an oval housing), the wood very dark and shiny from a protective coating, split in a few places but all there. With Fisher certificate #17563B. Estimate: $80-$120

1060. Copper sheeting. Roughly 18" x 5" x 3", 2¼ lb. This is a mangled, crumpled section of the actual copper sheeting that protected the hull of the ship, with square holes from tacks and lots of shelly encrustation and patina, an interesting display. With Fisher certificate #17334. Estimate: $60-$90

1061. Copper spike with washer. About 9" long and 1" in diameter, 1½ lb. A very attractive complete spike with curved point and full washer (oddly missing in photo on certificate) at blunt head, nice copper color with some toning. With Fisher photo-certificate #17324B. Estimate: $40-$60

1062. Small cuprous spike. About 1-3/4" long and up to 3/4" in diameter, 44.6 grams. A short, fat, stubby head end of a square-shank spike (says “broken” on certificate), brassy in color and well preserved (albeit crude). With Fisher certificate #17351A. Estimate: $25-$40

1063. Lot of 8 small cuprous nails. About 3/4" to 2" long, 23 grams total. Cute little sampling of small nails, mostly dark brass in color, a couple broken but most with heads intact. With Fisher photo-certificate #17354E. Estimate: $40-$60

1064. Lot of 8 small copper nails. About 3/4" to 2" long, 28 grams total. As above. With Fisher photo-certificate #17356D. Estimate: $40-$60

1065. Lot of 8 small copper nails. About 3/4" to 2" long, 25 grams total. As above. With Fisher photo-certificate #17357B. Estimate: $40-$60

1066. Encrusted iron bar. About 23" long and up to 2" in diameter, 6½ lb. This big, heavy, encrusted iron bar, slightly bent and with some big pieces of appended debris, was believed by the consignor to be a bar-shot (a bar with balls or half-balls at each end for shooting out of a cannon, per lot 1036 in this sale), but I see no evidence of that, as neither end bears a ball and the bar itself is way too long. In my opinion is it a hull-pin, a large iron fastener for holding together the hull of the ship, which itself is unidentified both in nationality and exact time period. What is definite, however, is that this is a great example of what stabilized, encrusted iron objects from wrecks look like: white and orange, with cracks, perfect for putting small items on it (like mounted coins) in a retail display. Estimate: $40-$60

1067. Glass wine bottle with original cork and wine still inside. About 11" tall and 3½” in diameter, 2 lb. A tall, dark green glass bottle that is still about one-third full of its original wine contents, the shriveled cork at top still (mostly) doing its job, but the bottom of the bottle warped and lopsided and opalescent probably due to the acid in the wine leeching out, the bottle otherwise in great condition with just a thin film of encrustation all over, a fascinating artifact for wine collectors! With South African certificate from 1998. Estimate: $150-$250

1068. Glass bottle full of olives (original contents). About 7½” tall and 2½” in diameter, 597 grams. A short, cylindrical, dark green glass bottle with hundreds of moldy olives in liquid inside, the original stopper in top reinforced with airtight wax, completely intact (surfaces crudely molded, as made) and quite fascinating (and rare) to contain original, early-1800s foodstuffs! With South African certificate from 1998. Estimate: $125-$225

1069. Glass snuff bottle, with original contents and stopper. About 5½” tall and 2½” x 2" sides, about 1 lb. Identical in all respects to lot #1033, which is stated to be from an earlier wreck (Colebrooke, 1778) in the same area, so I suspect the origins may have gotten confused (most likely this current lot came from the Colebrooke as well, despite the consignor’s attribution). To reiterate from the previous lot, this is a plain, dark, antique medicine bottle, rectangular in cross-section with flutes in corners, with original tobacco inside, its glass cap still screwed on tight. Estimate: $80-$120

1070. Group of six slave bracelets (manillas), one broken. Each about 3" in diameter and approx. 100 grams. Contrary to popular belief, these were not used as shackles for slaves (as the “bracelet” moniker might suggest), rather they were a form of money that tribal leaders in Africa accepted in trade for their prisoners from rival clans, who then became slaves for plantations in the West Indies and Americas. The conversion rate was variable and probably depended upon negotiation skill, but in any case it is sad to think that human lives were ever bartered for these cuprous C-shaped torques with flared, round ends. Shipwreck specimens like these are typically dark but patinated, and often come broken, a sign of early 19th-century corner-cutting, as the specified brass or bronze composition was often adulterated with too much tin and zinc, making them brittle. Estimate: $100-$150

1071. Group of three broken manillas (slave bracelets) along with three small brass buckles from an unspecified wreck. Total weight about 7½ oz. This lot contains three broken manillas like the one in the lot above (from the same wreck) as well as three small and very ornate buckles that would be great artifacts if the information about their provenance had not been lost. Estimate: $50-$75

1072. Large brass spatula with fish motif. About 12" long, 2-3/4" wide, 112 grams. A large serving spatula with plain handle (with four hallmarks on bottom) but elegantly engraved main part with open stars and rectangles outlining the shape of a fish, so I surmise this was used to serve fish. A few splits and other minor damage, otherwise intact. With Arqueonautas certificate #BRV-006/01/16540. Estimate: $200-$300

1073. Brass tongs. Roughly 5½” x 1" x ½”, 31 grams. Very recognizable item (looks like two small teaspoons joined at the handle ends), probably used for serving ice cubes, with five hallmarks on handle, a little bent but perfectly intact, nice brassy color. With Arqueonautas certificate #BRV-006/01/16538.14. Estimate: $175-$250

1074. Group of three large pewter spoons. Each about 8" long and 2" wide, 195 grams total. Matched set of three spoons, all intact but bent or cracked or flattened, each with a large hallmark on the handle that shows W(?)-crown-R above the word PATENT (should be able to match that with a known maker), all very silvery in color (minor corrosion only). With Arqueonautas certificate #BRV-006/01/16731.26. Estimate: $175-$250

1075. Pewter spoon. About 8" long, estimated width of bowl 1½”, 38 grams. Same as above (same hallmark, and bolder and fuller than any of the above) but with about one-third of bowl eaten away. With Arqueonautas certificate #BRV-006/01/16731.27. Estimate: $100-$150

1076. Brass spoon. About 6" long and 1¼”-wide bowl, 17 grams. A cute little spoon, fully intact except for a notch or two here and there (nice clean brass color), with four small hallmarks on handle. With Arqueonautas certificate #BRV-006/01/16621.07. Estimate: $75-$100

1077. Brass spoon. About 6" long and 1¼”-wide bowl, 17 grams. Same as above (and same hallmarks) but with larger split in bowl and a bit bent. With Arqueonautas certificate #BRV-006/01/166621.13. Estimate: $75-$100

1078. Group of three brass spoons. About 7" long and 1½”-wide bowl (each), 82 grams total. Very much like the above but a little longer and with slightly different hallmarks, better bowls (no splits), some dents. With Arqueonautas certificate #BRV-006/01/16566.02. Estimate: $150-$225

1079. Group of three cuprous forks. About 5½”-7" long, up to 1" wide, 76 grams total. Each fork in this lot is slightly different, the biggest one with all but one tine broken off and five hallmarks on handle, the middle one also with five hallmarks and about half of each tine present, and the smallest one with more decorative handle with no hallmarks and most of all four tines present, that one also silvery in color and more corroded, the others coppery or brassy. With Arqueonautas certificate #BRV-006/01/16508+16565.21+16565.24. Estimate: $75-$100

1080. Group of four musket flints. Each about 1¼” x 1" x ½”, 42 grams total. True to its name, the “flintlock” pistol or musket operated by striking a stone flint to make a spark and light the powder, hence the inexpensive flint was nevertheless a critical part of the operation! Whether these four perfectly intact stones, cut to a wedge shape that worked best, were backup supplies or from actual guns, we will never know; but they should still be quite functional for anyone with an original flintlock gun. With Arqueonautas certificate #AGO-039/00/16507.01. Estimate: $100-$150

1081. Group of seven cuprous forks. Each about 5½” long and 3/4" wide, 111 grams. This is a dainty set, with condition ranging from corroded with all tines broken off to almost perfectly intact, each one with five tiny hallmarks on handle, all dark or silvery in color but cuprous in composition. With Arqueonautas certificate #BOA-006/98/40950. Estimate: $150-$225

1082. Two sides of a wooden knife handle. Each about 3-3/4" long, 1" wide and ¼” thick, 30.8 grams total. Two rectangular slabs of hemispherical cross-section, each with two tiny fastener holes, perfectly preserved (amazing to have escaped the teredo worms) and solid, dark brown color. With Arqueonautas certificate #BOA-006/96/192. Estimate: $150-$225

1083. Glass spirits bottle. About 10" tall and 2-3/4" to a side, 1½ lb (just the bottle). This promotional package features a simple, unassuming (yet attractive and perfectly intact except for small bubbles and cracks as made) light-green glass bottle (like a “case gin” bottle but with no taper, tall and square-sided, with slight shoulder and short neck) housed in a custom-fit foam-filled cardboard box with wooden stand (with brass plaque that says “SS REPUBLIC / 1853-1865”), certificate, DVD, two autographed books (Bottles of the Deep, by Ellen C. Gerth [2006] and Lost Gold of the Republic, by Priit J. Vesilind [2005]) and a National Geographic magazine (September, 2004), all related to the wreck and salvage of this ship. The salvagers (Odyssey) offer these sets publicly for $1,250 retail. Estimate: $500-$700

1084. Copper-alloy tajadera (“hoe money”), Oaxaca (Zapotec), Southern Mexico, 1200s-1300s until Spanish conquest (ca. 1520). 56.2 grams, roughly 5½” x 3". When the Spanish conquistadors came to Mexico, they found that trade there was being conducted using long, thin, flat, axe-shaped scrapers in a copper-arsenic alloy that they came to call “tajaderas,” which also acquired the 20th-century nickname “hoe money”. Different regions had their own style, and this particular example (sturdy, heavy, and short-handled) is attributed to the Zapotec people of Oaxaca. When the Spaniards took over, starting in the 1520s, these tajaderas were discontinued. As more becomes known about them through the study of the silver “tumbaga” bars of the 1520s, surely these primitive monetary instruments will also become more desirable and valuable. This specimen is sandy from burial but is not bent or broken or terribly corroded. Estimate: $150-$200

1085. Copper-alloy tajadera (“hoe money”), Guerrero-Michoacan (Tarascan), Western Mexico, 1200s-1300s until Spanish conquest (ca. 1520). 16.7 grams, roughly 7½” x 2½”. Same basic concept as last lot but longer, thinner (wavy) and with less flare to the “axe” end, and also a more common type attributed to the Tarascan culture in the area of Guerrero-Michoacan. Also perfectly intact and just lightly patinated from burial. It should be noted that the arsenic in the alloy is what preserved these fascinating artifacts, as otherwise the copper would corrode and decompose. Estimate: $75-$100

1086. Large iron “armada” chest. 29" x 16" x 15", at least 100 lb. In my first auction last year I featured an “armada chest” like this one (but larger and in far nicer condition) and explained that these really had no connection with the Spanish Armada of 1588 but were connected with them in Victorian times due to the fact that they were made in the 1500s and held treasure. A more proper name is “Nuremburg chest,” for they were generally made in Germany, and the notion of filling them with gold coins and hefting them onto ships must be summarily dispelled. I like to think of them as the Diebold safe of their time, as they were designed to stay in one place, full of treasure, in guarded rooms in castles and manors. This specimen has its original key and is fully operational, despite the fact that the interior cover panel over the lock mechanism is missing, and it also has two padlocks (faithful reproductions) with keys for the loops on the exterior straps. A C-shaped handle graces each end. The inside of the chest is a rusty red (with the usual inner box for the most valuable treasures, its key unfortunately missing) and the outside is all black, which is typical for most of these scarce relics of the Age of Exploration. Estimate: $3,500-$4,750

1087. Ornate silver spoon, Inca or early Spanish, ca. 1600. About 7" long, bowl 1½” wide, 42 grams. Probably made from the same silver that the coins were, this native-design spoon has a straight, cylindrical handle with some design and a shallow, pear-shaped bowl with small round “wings” that cover part of the handle, no markings, some silvery but mostly darkly toned. Found in Peru. Estimate: $600-$800

1088. Silver cloak pin (“topo”) with chain, Inca or early Spanish, ca. 1600. About 14½” long in total, 31 grams. This is a long (about 5½”) fastening pin of a native type known as a “topo,” with one end finial-tipped and somewhat engraved, to which is attached a wire-link chain, the point end still sharp, all silvery in color with light toning. Found in Peru. Estimate: $600-$800

1089. Bronze dagger quillon, probably English, 1400s-1600s. About 3" long, 25.6 grams. This is the “crossbar” of a small edged-weapon, basically the part between the blade itself and the grip, to keep the hand from slipping onto the blade and to guide the user as to the blade’s orientation. Typically blades were steel (which rusts away), and the handles were something perishable like wood or bone or something valuable like silver or ivory, so it is not unusual to see just the quillon remaining. For what it is, the condition of this item is perfect, in a very slight S-shape with flat, tapered ends and rectangular hole in center for the blade, dark but uncorroded. Found near London. Estimate: $50-$75

1090. Bronze dagger quillon, probably English, 1400s-1600s. About 2½” long, 14.0 grams. Same item as above but smaller and of a cylindrical straight-arm design, also a bit lighter in color but still patinated. Found near London. Estimate: $50-$75

1091. Spanish steel breastplate (armor), ca. 1650. About 15" x 12" x 8". We already know from rings and other wearables that 17th-century Spaniards were much smaller people than we are used to now, and this small piece of armor seals it, as it would not fit an adult today! The exterior is a nicely polished steel but the inside is rusty, with detail around the edge, the underarm sections separate pieces riveted into place, overall in fine condition and quite scarce. Estimate: $2,000-$3,500

1092. Spanish steel cuphilt rapier, colonial, ca. 1650. Approx. 45" long, 8" across cross-guard and cup. This is the real deal—a Spanish cuphilt rapier that every self-respecting hidalgo wore at his belt and used to defend his honor, although this perfectly intact specimen seems hardly used, with sharp point and intact wire-wrapped grip, just a bit rusty all over, with simply decorated cup and matching pommel and cross-guard ends. Estimate: $1,500-$3,000

1093. Spanish steel cuphilt rapier, colonial, ca. 1650. Approx. 42" long, 8½” across cross-guard and cup. Same as last lot but with much cleaner steel and sharper blade (just a few spots of rust), simpler handle and cup, and (most importantly) the cup actually a period replacement, distinguishable from a modern repair in that the alterations (plugged holes, etc.) are obvious, basically a field technique to make the weapon usable again. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000

1094. Spanish steel cabasset (helmet), ca. 1650. About 11" x 7½” x 7½”. Completing the ensemble with the last three lots is this Spanish helmet (known as a cabasset), hand-forged (lots of hammer marks inside) and of classic form with ridged medial and “pear stalk” terminal, missing the internal liner band and rivets but otherwise intact, attractive gray color (no rust), a very fine example of a scarce item. Estimate: $800-$1,200

1095. Dutch East India Company (VOC) apothecary bottle (Arita/Ko-Imari/Gallipot), 17th century. 7" tall and 4" in diameter at its widest, about 1½ lb. This is basically a bulbous vase with narrow neck, elegantly decorated with a wreath around the VOC monogram for the Dutch East India Company, otherwise solid gray in color, very heavy and sturdy, completely intact and beautiful, also rare. Estimate: $600-$900

1096. Silver cloak pin with socket for stone, Spanish, ca. 1600-1650. About 6" long, 9 grams. A long, straight fastener with sharp point and empty socket at other end, twisted near the socket end, toned silver in color and intact except for whatever was originally in the socket. Found in Peru. Estimate: $350-$500

1097. Silver fork, Spanish, 1600s. About 6" long and 3/4" wide across the tines, 38 grams. A very thick and solid fork but with one of its three tines broken, the handle ending in a flat, pear-shaped terminal, silver color with toning here and there (probably made from the same silver as the cobs!). Found in Peru. Estimate: $250-$400

1098. Small bronze signal cannon, Spanish, 1600s. About 3" tall and 2¼” in diameter, 2 lb. Small, upright mortars with flat bottoms like this one were used for several different purposes, including powder-testing and signaling, but what is clear is that they could not have been used as weapons. This specimen could not have held more than a musket-ball (if that), as the bore is only 1", but the walls are quite thick and sturdy, typically dented and patinated, with well-used touch-hole in the side. Found in Bolivia. Estimate: $200-$250

1099. Small bronze signal cannon, Spanish, 1600s. About 3" tall and 2¼” in diameter, 2 lb. As above but a bit cruder in execution, less patinated, and with touch-hole clogged with debris. Found in Bolivia. Estimate: $200-$250

1100. Pair of iron stirrups, Spanish, 1600s. Each about 7½” x 7" x 5", a little over 3 lb total. Each piece a flat plate connected to a loop at top for fastening onto horse-riding tackle, a simple open design for everyday use (not ornamental), with eleven holes for ventilation in bottom, perfectly intact but rusty and sandy as found. From the Camino Real trail in Panama. Estimate: $175-$250

1101. Large, oval, cuprous religious medallion, 1600s. Approx. 2" x 1-3/8", 24.4 grams. A large and very worn medal that shows a saint looking upward on one side and a standing figure on the other side, very brassy in color, with intact loop at top (still wearable). Found in Peru. Estimate: $125-$200

1102. Large, oval, cuprous religious medallion, 1600s. About 2¼” x 1½”, 24.9 grams. Another large and worn medal, this with a crown above two hearts (just like the coins) on one side and three figures kneeling before a standing figure on the other side, brass color with verdigris, intact loop at top. Found in Peru. Estimate: $125-$200

1103. Three silver pins, Spanish, 1600s. Each about 2" long and 1.5 grams. Just like modern sewing pins with spherical heads and sharp points, only much larger and obviously old silver (so probably decorative). Found in Peru. Estimate: $125-$200

1104. Three small cuprous Christ figures (from crucifixes), 1600s. Each about 2" x 1½” and 5 grams. All three a bit worn but very recognizable, brass color with verdigris, intact. Found in Peru. Estimate: $100-$150